The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 123

Dennis glanced nervously at his boss. “Mr. Austin, do you think someone’s sabotaging us on purpose?”

A cold glint flashed in Dylan’s eyes. “Whoever’s behind this—if they think they can play games with me, they’re making a big mistake. I won’t let them get away with it.”

He began pacing the office, trying to piece together a plan. “Dennis, call an emergency meeting with all department heads. We need solutions, fast. I want this situation contained before it gets any worse.”

“Yes, Mr. Austin, I’ll arrange it right away.” Dennis hurried out, not daring to waste a second.

But before they could even regroup, disaster struck again—the Austin Group’s entire computer system crashed at once, plunging the company into chaos. Employees sat frozen at their desks, wide-eyed and helpless, unsure what to do next. The IT department was in total disarray, scrambling desperately to fix the mess, sweat dripping down their faces as they rushed from one terminal to another.

When Dylan got the news, the storm brewing on his face turned even darker. “Are the IT guys completely useless? It’s been ages and they still haven’t fixed this!”

Dennis, trailing behind him, was just as anxious, sweat beading on his forehead as he kept pressing the IT staff to come up with a solution.

The head of IT looked utterly defeated, his voice trembling. “Dennis, it’s not that we’re not trying—whoever we’re up against is on another level. We’ve just discovered the hacker behind this: it’s GigglesBub, one of the most notorious cybercriminals in the world.”

Dylan’s brows knit together. “GigglesBub? Who the hell is that?”

The IT lead rushed to explain. “Mr. Austin, GigglesBub’s a legend in the hacker community. No one has ever managed to beat him. He’s the best there is.”

Dylan gave a harsh laugh. “So what, we’re just supposed to sit here and do nothing? I don’t care who he is—fix this, now!”

The IT head nodded frantically. “Yes, sir! We’ll do everything we can.”

Dennis tried to offer a sliver of hope. “Mr. Austin, maybe we could reach out to some top cybersecurity experts—get outside help?”

Dylan shot him a glare. “Then what are you waiting for? Do it, now!”

Dennis nodded quickly and rushed off to make the calls.

Meanwhile, the mood in IT was suffocating. Everyone was hunched over their computers, frantically searching for a way to fend off the attack, but GigglesBub’s assaults came in relentless waves, leaving them barely able to keep their heads above water.